


In Times Like These

by v3ryvelvet



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Corona Virus - Freeform, Dating, Dirty Talk, F/M, Flirting, Happy Ending, Isolation, Love in Corona Virus, Mutual Pining, No Pregnancy, Oral Sex, Pandemics, Phone Sex, Praise Kink, Smut, social distancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:08:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23758885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/v3ryvelvet/pseuds/v3ryvelvet
Summary: Senator Leia Organa has announced a nationwide lockdown due to the on-going Corona Virus. With events cancelled and jobs at risk, it really is the most unlikely of times for Rey Johnson to find love with her new next-door neighbour, Ben Solo.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 29
Kudos: 222
Collections: Anniversary Fic Exchange 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sidsaid](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sidsaid/gifts).



> Dear Sai, I hope I do your prompt of love in time of Corona justice! ❤️

_"Good evening,_

_The corona virus is the biggest threat our nation has faced for decades - and we are not alone. All over the galaxy, we are seeing the devastating impact that this virus is having.”_

Sitting on her sofa Rey feels her stomach clench with nerves. She’d been waiting for this, the whole country has. She clicks the volume up on her television remote control and tries settling into the cushions while Senator Organa makes her announcement.

_“And so tonight I want to update you on the latest steps we are taking to fight this disease._

_The corona virus is putting a gigantic strain on our health professionals everywhere and if we allow this to become bigger, the health service will begin to collapse._

_It is with this additional threat and as of this evening I must order a simple instruction: you must stay at home.”_

Rey exhales through her nose, the news is somehow not a shock but she still finds herself shutting her eyes. The senator continues,

_“We need to stop the disease from spreading between households. You will be permitted to leave your home for the following purposes only -_

  * _Shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible_
  * _One form of exercise a day - such as a run, walk or cycle. Alone or with members of your household only_
  * _Any medical needs such as providing care to a vulnerable person_
  * _Travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home_



_No person should be out of their home for any other reason. We will be imposing social distancing measures where possible, keeping at least two meters from any other person.”_

Leia Organa stares down the screen as if speaking to Rey alone, 

_“You should not be meeting friends, should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home. No shopping trips other than for food or medicine - and even then, this should be done as little as possible._

_If these rules are not followed the Coruscant Security Force will have the powers to enforce them._

_With this announcement, we will immediately be -_

  * _Shutting all non-essential shops including libraries, playgrounds, gyms and places of worship_
  * _We will stop all social events including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies excluding funerals.”_



With the announcement, Rey feels a lump form in her throat. She knows her best friend Rose will be watching the senator and will have just had the confirmation she’s been dreading; her wedding in four weeks has now been cancelled. 

The senator continues to speak, thanking the people for their cooperation and delivering a final message of unity. Picking her phone up Rey shoots a quick message to Rose.

**_Rey Johnson:_ **

_You okay? X_

**_Rose Tico:_ **

_I’m okay. It’s a little bit of a relief, to be honest, I couldn’t stand not knowing. I’m sure it’ll hit me soon enough. Armie is already on the phone to the venue to re-book x_

**_Rey Johnson:_ **

_Of course, he is. Let me know if I can do anything (within social distancing measures). I’m gonna miss game nights :(_

**_Rose Tico:_ **

_I know, us too. Keep safe, will talk to you soon x_

  
  


The whole situation is downright bizarre, like something from a horror production. It’s been a few months since the virus became the focal point of everyone’s lives. To begin with Rey had watched the reports on the news and shrugged it off, something that would blow over in a couple weeks and not be spoken of again but now with the city- the _country-_ in lockdown, it’s a little hard to digest. Rey’s thankful however that the lease at her old apartment ended only a few weeks ago. At least now she’s in a new building where she can now safely follow the senator’s new isolating rules without the worry of moving boxes and furniture. 

In a time like this Rey will pick the positives where she can, at least in her new apartment she has a sweet little terrace with enough room to fit a chair on so she can get her daily dose of the Coruscant sunshine. She won’t need to worry about her job either. Thankfully, the office had begun to allow everyone to work from home almost a week ago which Rey had gladly taken the chance to do.

She sits and gathers her thoughts- sympathy for her friends and the loss of their wedding, is there anything she can do to help anyone? Eventually, she stands and makes her way to the terrace. One of the first things Rey did when she moved in was place her plants on to the terrace: two flower boxes that hang from the railings, a lavender hanging basket with a small parlour palm tree tucked into the corner. 

The building is like it has been hollowed, all the terraces above a small courtyard that centres the building. Looking over the railing she looks at the fountain, she’d come to expect residents sitting by the water feature chatting and relaxing but it sits quiet and abandoned. 

It’s while Rey plucks at some stray weeds in the flower box she hears the terrace door next to her being opened.

“Yeah Ma, I watched it...yeah it was good- well, as good as the situation can be…”

Rey looks over to the new voice and-

Her hand almost crumples the stems of her growing petunias when she sees her neighbour. He’s tall, _so_ tall and he barely fits on the terrace. Rey doesn’t think she’s ever seen someone so _thick_ before. She watches him from the corner of her eye trying to see more of him without staring. The hair on his head is ridiculous, no man should be allowed to have a head of hair that luscious. 

His voice continues, a phone pressed against his ear,

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I can work from home Ma...yeah...okay, take care. Make sure dad sticks to lockdown. ‘Kay, bye Ma.” 

Still fiddling with her flowers Rey looks over to him and decides that, yes, he is the most gorgeous human she has laid eyes on. 

“Scary stuff, huh?” Rey’s speaking before she can stop herself. She almost wants to slap a hand over her mouth but it’s too late, he’s looking up from his phone. He opens his mouth to reply but nothing comes out, instead pocketing the phone and leaning against the railing of his balcony. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty unreal,” he finally breathes a reply and looks across the courtyard. “I’m Ben by the way. I’d offer you my hand but I think this is as close as we’re allowed to get if we’re to abide by the senator.” 

Rey laughs, there’s a breath of nerves that she hopes only she can recognise and nods to him. “I’m Rey. I moved in a few weeks ago but don’t think I’ve seen you around?”

Ben nods, “I had been travelling for work but thankfully I can stay at home through all this-“ his hands (his _massive_ hands) gesture to the air around him, “madness.” 

The ringing of his phone interrupts before she can reply but realising she is in her sweats Rey takes her chance to leave, “I better leave you to it. Nice to meet you, Ben.”

He smiles across at her, “you too Rey.”

When she shuts the door to her terrace Rey leans against the glass and sighs. 

\- - -

Come the following morning Rey is leaning on her kitchen counter waiting for her cinnamon pop tarts to heat while thoughts of Ben swirl in her head. How unfortunate to find someone as gorgeous as he is and she can’t even get within two meters of him. 

The Coruscant weather mocks her, bright sun shining through the windows of the terrace and into her lounge. On any other day, she’d be out by the promenade or going for a run in the park but for now, she’ll accept the terrace. With her heated snack plated, Rey moves to the balcony. It looks like other tenants of the building have had similar thoughts, above her, she can hear the chatter of the friendly family she has met in the hallways of the building. Across the courtyard, Rey spies the flickering of curtains from Ms Kanata’s open terrace and-

“What an Earth are you eating?” 

Laying her half-chewed pop tart to the plate again Rey looks to find Ben staring at her from his balcony. 

His shirt is open. 

Wide open for everyone to see. 

Her eyes flicker between his face and his bare chest, a stammering of _uh_ ’s and _um_ ’s falling from her lips. There’s a swoop of butterflies in her stomach when she sees his eyes crinkle in amusement.

“It’s a pop tart…” 

He brings a mug to his mouth and sips, humming in response to her. 

“A pop tart? That is _not_ breakfast, Rey.”

She huffs in an almost amused disbelief, looking around as if someone can support her. 

“And what are you eating that’s so nutritious?” 

It’s a poor response at best but it does get another smile from him.

“A poached egg and avocado on sourdough toast with a chamomile tea,” he responds with a smirk before bringing the mug to his mouth in another sip. 

“Alright,” Rey begins. She pulls out her deck chair and sits down to face Ben, “that sounds pretty good…but mine has refined sugar so who’s the real winner here?” 

His laugh is downright contagious and almost instantly Rey feels her face light up with him. Outwith the virus, in a situation like this Rey would be fluttering her eyelashes and leaning into him and suggesting something like him buying her breakfast but alas she respects the two-meter distance and instead pushes her hair behind her ears. 

“Your hair,” Ben starts, sipping the final dregs of his tea, “it’s shorter?” 

There’s a flush of heat that blooms across Rey’s skin. It’s true, her hair is shorter. She had it chopped just after she had moved into the building but-

“How do you know that?” Her hand automatically curls through her chestnut hair pushing it out of her face. 

She watches Ben dust his hands together, shaking the crumbs from his fingers.

“Mhm, I saw you moving in and I was gonna offer to help but I saw your…” he pauses and purses his lips, “friend? Boyfriend? Your hair was longer then, anyway.”

It’s warming her insides knowing he noticed her weeks ago and had a lasting effect on him.

“That would’ve been Finn, he’s _just_ a friend.” Ruffling a hand through her hair she smiles over the railing of the balcony, “with summer coming up I thought shorter hair would be easier to deal with.” 

He’s popping the last corner of toast into his mouth and nodding. “Well,” his voice carries so well across the balcony Rey thinks, she watches him stand with his damn open shirt fluttering in the breeze, “short hair really suits you.”

She can see the lines of muscles across his body, pectoral muscles and Adonis belt so deliciously defined Rey almost misses his compliment and can only nod back at him. 

“I better get some work done, chat to you later Rey.”

Pursing her lips with thoughts still focussed on Ben’s physique Rey decides that lockdown is definitely going to be interesting with a neighbour like Ben. 

\- - -

A week passes without seeing Ben, the spring weather bringing those April showers and putting a stop to all rendezvous on the balcony. 

At least her plants will have been watered.

Today, however, is a Saturday and Rey has left the apartment to allow herself the right to exercise. If she plays anymore of The Sims 4 on her laptop she is certain the transformation to hermit will be complete. 

Her lungs burn with exertion, the muscles in her calves begin to throb while she’s sure in just the space of a week she has developed shin splints. 

Rey abides by the rules that the senator advised; she doesn’t use her car to travel somewhere quiet to do her run and instead just runs around the neighbourhood in a few loops. She makes sure to stay away from other runners and dog walkers. It’s almost apocalyptic to see how quiet the city is. Rey is used to street vendors and lines of traffic in all directions but today she can run on the road without so much as seeing a car drive past. She does notice however that when she moves to avoid people and respect her boundaries as well as others that they thank her or call out a friendly good morning. It’s the first time Rey thinks there is some small positive coming from the virus. 

By the time Rey runs her final loop her body really begins to protest and with her last burst of energy, she sprints the stairs in her building to her apartment where she plans on sleeping until at least dinner time. She’s clutching the stitch at her ribs when a paper bag outside her apartment catches her eye. With an eyebrow raised and her breath still heaving she leans down and sees a note on the side of the bag: 

  
  


_Rey,_

_That pop tart has been playing on my mind among other things so I felt it only appropriate for you to enjoy a real, nutritious meal. I’ve prepared a dish of primavera stuffed chicken with a side salad. If you like we could eat together on our balconies at 7? The container was sterilised before use and I have no symptoms however I understand if this is still a concern._

_Ben x_

  
  


Clutching the note in her hands Rey feels like a teenager being asked to prom. Her eyes scan over the note and his lovely handwriting a few times before taking the bag from her doormat along with the key she hid beneath it to enter her apartment. 

In true girl excitement, Rey pulls her phone out and types a message up to Rose.

**_Rey Johnson:_ **

_So, I have a date tonight…_

**_Rose Tico:_ **

_What? I mean, how? What?_

**_Rey Johnson:_ **

_Remember I told you about the hot next door neighbour? He’s left a care package on my doorstep with a note asking to have dinner with him on our balconies!_

**_Rose Tico:_ **

_Oh my god, marry him_

She should be showering but for now, while Rey messages Rose she kicks her feet in the air and tries not to squeal with excitement that somehow in the middle of a _pandemic,_ she has managed to get a date!

\- - -

Of all the things to worry about in the middle of a lockdown Rey didn’t think that one of them would be an outfit for a date. She’s standing at the bottom of her bed sans _any_ clothes and looking at the outfits she has laid out for consideration. 

At the back of her mind, she ponders that Ben has done this as a mere show of friendship? Love thy neighbour, perhaps? 

But he does smirk at her a fair bit, she argues back. 

“Bugger it,” she mutters and goes with her dangerously tight jeans and a white lace cami. Thankfully the evening is still warm and if she wants to bare a bit of shoulder to Ben, so what? 

The smell of his home-cooked dinner is wafting throughout the apartment as it heats in the oven, it’s now almost seven and Rey is more than ready to see Ben and eat the prepared dinner; the original plan of her microwave meal has long been forgotten. 

Her alarm chiming at 7pm sends a thrill of anticipation down her spine and she moves to the balcony, opening the twin doors with an inhale.

“Evening Rey.”

He’s there, of course he is. Bending over his small table and laying cutlery he smiles across to her. She notices almost straight away how his dark eyes linger across her body and up to her face.

“Hi Ben,” is her breathy reply. She pulls out her seat to face Ben and smiles, “this was so lovely of you to do, I’ve been so excited about it.” 

He shrugs bashfully, the smile still pulled across his full lips. 

From there they both serve their meals and sit down to face one another and just like their other encounters Rey finds the conversation flows easily, like they’ve been friends forever. 

“I should’ve gotten wine,” Ben mutters with a frown.

“Oh, I have wine-“ she realises then she can’t exactly pass it to him from across the balcony and she too frowns. “I could pour me a glass and then leave the bottle outside your door?” 

“Hmm, or...do you have a washing line?” He asks, standing up from his seat. His cutlery clinks to the dinner plate as he does, now looking for his own line. 

“Uh, yes…” 

He nods and is soon disappearing into his apartment and coming out with a box. Within a few moments, he has looped the washing line through the handles of the box and asked for Rey’s line of washing until both are combined and Ben has made a rather clever pulley system. Through laughs of disbelief, Rey watches Ben pull the washing line until the box is on her balcony.

“Go on then, get the wine.” He laughs with her, almost impressed by his own invention. Rey’s still grinning when she reappears in the balcony with the wine, pouring her glass before corking it and placing it in the box. 

Proud as punch Ben pulls the box back to himself, looking even more delighted with Rey’s wine choice before pouring it and raising his glass with a grin,

“Cheers!”

\- - -

It’s late into the evening when their date begins to wrap up. Rey is bundled in her cardigan and feeling blissfully happy thanks to her full tummy and wonderful company. 

“So, Ben,” she begins. Not only is Rey feeling happy, she verges slightly on the tipsy side. Apparently, that bottle of wine had hit the spot a little too well.

“If this were a date outside of a lockdown, what would you be doing next?” 

It shouldn’t be allowed how he purses his lips, somehow making them even more luscious. Sitting on top of a cushion brought in from her lounge Rey feels herself crossing her legs to stop the ache that being in Ben’s presence seems to bring on. 

“Well, for one you wouldn’t have that flimsy scrap on, “ he nods to her cardigan, “I’d give you my jacket to keep you warm,” his lips turn up at this, watching as Rey blushes into her hand. 

“I think dinner as a first date is always good, the chance to talk one on one, you know,” he continues and raises a hand to his hair. She notices how his knuckles seem to drum against his scalp in thought.

“I’d walk you to your door of course…”

Rey looks up from her hand, smiling at him as he continues.

“I’d tell you that I had a wonderful time and I would really like to do it again sometime...and I would love it if you agreed?”

Her head tips back in laughter at this, eyes creasing with such genuine joy that she nods in reply,

“I would definitely agree,” Rey says joyfully. 

He grins back and nods, satisfied their date has been a success.

“Well,” Ben starts again, sitting straighter in his seat to look across at her, “knowing we both had a good night and you would like to see me again I would tuck that little curl of hair behind your ear and put my hand on your chin. I’d look at your face, your gorgeous lips and eyes...and I’d give you a goodnight kiss.” 

She can feel his eyes on her, waiting for her reaction but words fail her. Rey doesn’t have a response because no one has ever spoken so softly or so kindly to her before and all her concentration is going into not crying. 

“That’s what I’d do, Rey,” he finalises before placing the glass of wine to his lips, tipping it back to finish it. 

Eventually her head kicks into gear and she nods at him, licking her lip before finally finding the words, “that sounds like a pretty perfect date to me.” 

He smiles, this wide brilliant smile that has Rey shivering from head to toe. 

“You better get inside, sweetheart,” he starts, beginning to stand up from his seat, “don’t want you getting a cold.”

The term of endearment catches her attention and usually, having barely known Ben, she would find herself scowling but her natural reaction is to grin widely, somehow loving how it sounds coming from him. 

“Thank you for dinner, I had a really wonderful night,” she speaks leaning on her door frame.

“Me too, same time tomorrow?”

Rey grins and nods, “it’s a date.”

\- - -

All things considering the next couple of weeks pass quite blissfully for Rey. She continues to work from home as a copywriter, the writing world only blooming in such confined times. 

Between her nine to five job through the week Rey still finds time to see Ben, they dine frequently on their balconies and exchange phone numbers. They cook for one another, granted Ben’s palate is a little more refined than hers but she learns to make beef ragu while Ben is taught how to make pizza from scratch. 

It’s one of Rey’s favourite memories so far from their lockdown, the two of them on their balconies covered in flour trying to roll their respective pizza doughs on the tables. He looks handsome in the evening sunlight with flour greying his inky black hair while he laughs at their conversation. 

She still runs and often finds Ben running too. It’s hard not to cross the road and speak to him but instead pausing to wave and discuss their evening plans. They’ve decided on ordering take away food to save cooking since Ben complains of a frustrating week over Zoom with his colleagues. 

With her run completed and fresh out the shower Rey finds the unwelcome sight of rain outside her window with small puddles of water already forming on the stone slabs of her balcony floor.

“Shit,” she breathes with a huff of irritation. Her hair still drips lines of water down the slope of her neck and past her collarbone. Hoping Ben hasn’t already ordered their agreed on sushi she runs speed dial and waits for him to answer while adjusting the towel around her body.

“You just got me out of the shower sweetheart, what’s up?” His voice soothes everything, makes her feel warm and settled.

“You’ve not seen the rain then?” She replies slumping on to the sofa in her lounge. The sound of his footsteps echo in her ear- _he’s so heavy and big and oh my god-_

“Fucking hell,” he groans in a way that makes Rey bite her lip. She digs herself deeper into the sofa and sighs.

“I guess we can have sushi another night, yeah?” 

Ben grumbles a quiet _“suppose so”_ but the disappointment is evident in his voice. They chat anyway, picking up from where they left off the night before about the recent midseason finale for the Walking Dead. 

“We should watch it together when all this is over,” Rey chimes in. She imagines snuggling into him, and even though she watches all manner of zombie films and tv series, she can still see herself jumping in fear and hugging Ben closer. 

“There are a lot of things I think we should do when this is all over,” he replies quickly. She pauses for a moment when she feels a lick of heat down her spine.

She pushes the topic, “like what?” 

The rain outside comes down now quite heavily, the Coruscant skies have turned a dark, looming grey. She can hear Ben fidget from what she presumes is his sofa or bed. 

His _bed._

She bites her lip again.

“Well, for one I’m taking you out for a real damn meal,” he breathes a laugh and continues. “I would love to take you to the theatre or Broadway. I miss that.”

“I’ve never seen a Broadway show before,” Rey comments.

“No? Well, that’s settled then. When lockdown is over we can go for dinner and some cocktails and then we’ll see a show, sweetheart.” 

The heat that had occupied the line of her spine earlier seems to flare up again and Rey only realises she’s still only wrapped in a towel. Toying with the frayed edge she decides to push a little further.

“And what about after that?” Her voice is huskier, she can hear it but she can’t find it in herself to care. Even more so when she hears Ben’s sigh; it’s not a fatigued one or annoyed, almost a groan she thinks. 

“I’d take you back to my apartment,” his voice reverberates over the phone line until her skin prickles with goosebumps. “And I’d like to kiss you, I’d like to kiss you a lot, Rey.”

It’s the words she has wanted to hear since the moment she laid eyes on Ben. With eyes shut and her lips turning into a grin she replies,

“I’d love that, Ben. In fact,” she fidgets on the sofa and decides to take things further again, “I’d want you to take my clothes off and kiss every inch of me.” 

The sound of his breath hitching in his throat makes Rey grin triumphantly. “I’ve thought about it you know,” she starts again now moving the towel open to bare her body to the cool temperature of her lounge. In the last few weeks of knowing Ben, she has gone to bed with nothing but her hand for company, thoughts in the back of her mind of the handsome neighbour next door and what he could do to her.

“Have you?” Ben asks, “what have you thought about?”

Still grinning Rey runs her free hand along her thighs and up to her stomach, light touches that make her skin feel hot to the touch. 

“I thought about how you feel, how your hands would feel against me,” she murmurs into the phone, thinking of the things that have plagued her mind in the last few weeks. “I think that you would tease me, just little touches and licks, I think you’d make me work for it.”

“Jesus, _Rey-“_

Her finger lines the hard peaks of her nipples, resulting in a low gasp before continuing, “I think about sitting in your lap and you sucking my nipples until they’re raw and I’m begging.”

With another groan, he replies, “it’s like you’ve read my mind, sweetheart. I’ve been dreaming about you, about your pretty tits and how they’d taste in my mouth. You have no idea how much I think of it, of _you-”_

It’s Rey’s turn to make a noise, a whimper that crawls up her throat as she twists a nipple between her fingers. 

“Are you touching yourself, Rey?” 

“Not properly, just my tits-”

“Fuck,” he hisses, “tell me, tell me what they look like.”

She looks down at herself, truth be told Rey has never been too impressed with what she has been given to work with in life but even in these last few minutes Ben has brought a confidence in her she didn’t even know she had. 

“They’re small, sometimes I don’t even need to wear a bra, I just hope no one notices-”

He groans another curse down the phone to her. 

“Right now my nipples are so hard Ben, so tight against my fingers. They’re pretty, pink and just so-” she pinches them again, allowing herself to moan down the mouthpiece of her phone, “sensitive.” 

“No idea Rey, no idea how much I want to be there-”

“I know,” she pants in response, “tell me what you would do, I want to know.”

The connection of their call rustles slightly, louder as if she is being put on speakerphone. 

“Jesus, Rey, everything. I want to do _everything_ with you. I’d take you to bed and bite and suck your tits, all the way down to your legs. I want to hold your legs open so I can mark your thighs, kiss and suck my mark onto your skin,” his voice rasps between words, almost holding back just how needy he is. “I want to suck your clit, wanna spread you wide and just go down on you for as long as you’ll let me.”

Throughout his words Rey’s fingers have trailed from her chest to her stomach, very briefly circling her hip before pushing her pussy lips apart. Her breath catches in her throat when Ben talks about going down on her. An activity Rey is all for but her previous partners haven’t been as enthusiastic as Ben seems to be. 

“More,” she pleads, her hips are lifting from the sofa desperately now. 

“You like that, sweetheart? Like the idea of me tasting your pretty little pussy?”

“Mhm, so much Ben, please-”

“Yeah, you’d love it, I promise. I’ll have you riding my face until you’re gushing Rey, I promise. Now you gotta tell me, are you playing with your clit now Rey?”

She isn’t, she’s sliding her finger through her folds, deliberately teasing herself as her clit aches for attention. 

“Not yet,” she replies almost breathlessly. 

“Do it, just really gently stroke yourself for me, can you do that?”

“Yeah yeah-” she almost whines when her finger grazes the stiff head of herself, “please just keep- keep talking, Ben-”

“Good, that’s my good girl. You’d be good for me, wouldn’t you, Rey?”

“Mhm, yes yes, promise-”

“That’s what I like to hear, my good girl. Since I saw you that day, when the lockdown was announced, I wondered what your pretty face would look like as it choked on my dick. Wondered how far I could push until you were drooling with it,” Ben pants now, sounding if he has run a marathon.

“Knew you’d have a big cock,” Rey mutters now circling her clit with a precision that makes her see stars, “would you fuck my mouth, Ben? Fuck it until you were coming down my throat?”

“Tempting,” he replies through a long, steady breath, “one day sweetheart, but not when I first get to see you. I’ll be saving that for somewhere else if you’ll let me.”

“Where Ben? My tits? My ass? What about inside me?”

His moan shocks Rey, it makes her moan in return. She loves a man who can be loud, who can vocalise their pleasure without embarrassment. 

“Oh, you are playing with fire, sweetheart,” he inhales sharply, “I can’t wait to fuck you, can’t wait to feel you- _fuck-_ so fucking hot and so _tight-”_

“Ben,” her fingers slide messily across her clit, arousal smearing across the insides of her thighs and hand, “getting close Ben-” she cuts herself off with a loud moan, her back nearly bowing from the sofa as she feels those all too familiar sparks igniting in the pits of her stomach. 

“Yes baby, yes, you get there. Gonna squeeze every orgasm out of you until you can’t _stand_ until you forget your own _name.”_

Somehow she knows Ben isn’t lying, this is only phone sex and she feels like she has been ruined for all others. 

“Jesus Rey,” Ben groans again, a whimper catching at the end of her name, “I’m so fucking hard right now, fuck-”

She imagines him on top of her, her hands held together above her head as he fucks her. Imagines how his hair would tickle her neck as he grinds their hips together, cock stretching her insides until she feels continuous bursts of heat in her stomach.

“Ben, Ben-” she cries out, pleading and praying for her orgasm to overwhelm her, “I’m so close Ben, I’m so, so close-”

“That’s okay baby, let me hear it, come on-”

It’s only a few more swipes of her nimble fingers and her orgasm washes over her in a rush that has Rey’s back bowing from the sofa and her toes curling. She can hear the faint praise from Ben, telling her how good she is. His voice comes out in long, drawn out moans until he’s cursing down the earpiece and moaning her name. 

They both come down together, trying to catch their breaths while the last of their pleasure is drawn out from their bodies. 

Rey sees the evidence of her orgasm soaking her towel, the insides of her thighs still shiny with arousal. Breathing a laugh she looks towards the ceiling thanking whatever higher being there is out there for giving her someone like Ben. 

“You okay?” Ben asks, he sounds sleepy and sated.

“Very okay,” she responds trying to hold back a yawn, stretching her body like a pampered cat. 

“Well,” the line of Ben’s phone muffles again, presumably being taken off speakerphone. 

“Well what?” she queries now wrapping the towel back over her body. 

“That was way fucking better than sushi."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the lockdown rules I have been using for this fic have come from Scotland’s route map for the pandemic. Luckily I have my fiancée so didn’t have a need for a social bubble like Ben and Rey.

“You have no idea how much I want to bounce you on my cock, Rey.”

He’s filthy, he’s so fucking filthy and Rey eats up every word Ben says. Her head rolls on the pillow beneath her while her hand works the mint green vibrator into her cunt. 

They’re somewhere between week nine and ten of lockdown and with every day that passes the harder it is for the two of them to stay away from one another.

Senator Organa relaxes some rules over those weeks. It’s somewhere in week seven that Ben and Rey can meet in the park, basking in the Coruscant sunshine while keeping two meters apart from one another. It’s hard for them both, for her not to reach across and hold his hand. For Ben to keep his hands to himself, ignoring the need to run his fingers through her chestnut hair. By the end of their date, however, they’re grateful, it’s been another opportunity to see each other in a different situation (and to see one another from the waist down). 

The country is seeing the decline in cases but there is still the call that measures should have come sooner. Rey tries not to dwell on it, they can’t change the past. 

She moans against the mouthpiece of her phone, the tip of the vibrator hitting home and just sending her body into a full spasm. 

“You coming already, baby?” Ben pants, his moan follows close behind. Rey nods into the pillow as if he can see. Sadly, he can not. They discussed phone sex by video call but Ben said he couldn’t bear the thought of seeing her body for the first time over a screen.

Rey continues to pump the vibrator inside of her, every word Ben rasps into her ear makes her hand move quicker and quicker. She didn’t know a vibrator could be like this, it was never something Rey could mix into her budget so always made use of her fingers but somewhere between week five and six Rey came home from her run to find a parcel on her doorstep. He had asked her one night if she had one and when she answered no the subject was dropped...until she unwrapped the delicate package with a card citing the gift was from Ben. 

“Gonna fuck you blind Rey-“

It’s just the image of Ben on top of her, of him driving his cock into her over and over and Rey’s there.

“I’m coming, I’m coming-“ 

The heat in Rey’s pelvis erupts down her thighs and up her spine until she’s arching from the bed and letting the toy drop to the mattress beneath her. In between her cries of pleasure she hears the now familiar groan of Ben’s orgasm across the speaker until they’re both panting. 

“Is it,” Ben begins still trying to catch his breath, “possible to miss someone you haven’t really met?”

She smiles dreamily, still dazed by her orgasm. With her hands trembling she reaches to the fallen vibrator between her legs and turns it off. 

“I think so,” she whispers, “how long do you think it’ll be before we can be together without breaking any rules?” 

She thinks she hears Ben through the wall, maneuvering on the bed before she hears him sigh over the phone. 

“Mom says there should be an announcement in the next week or so about independent households but depending on case numbers it might change. It’s all being discussed with health advisors and the world health organisation.”

Rey sits up in bed frowning at Ben’s words. He continues to rattle off that nothing will be said until they are absolutely positive-

“Wait, hold up,” Rey interrupts sitting straighter against her headboard, “your mom?” 

It’s a few seconds of silence before Ben sighs again, cursing under his breath. 

“Senator Organa...yeah, she’s my mom.” 

Now that is something Rey had not been expecting. Placing Ben on speakerphone she pulls up google and searches for an image of the Senator only to raise her eyebrows when she’s reminded just how small the woman is. She gave birth to Ben? 

“Holy shit, I didn’t expect that…” 

“I know, I’m sorry. I tend not to tell people at the best of times and especially in the middle of a pandemic and-“

“Hey hey,” Rey speaks gently, the panic obvious as Ben begins to ramble. “You don’t need to explain yourself to me, Ben, I get it. That’s a private thing, you don’t have to share this stuff with me-“

“I do.”

It catches her off guard how that rattle of nerves in his voice has disappeared, suddenly sounding so confident and sure of himself.

“I want to share everything with you, Rey.”

There’s a part of Rey that’s glad they’re not facing one another while doing this. He misses how she hides her grin with her hand and sinks deeper into the bed, staring at the ceiling like a teenage girl with her first crush. 

“I do too.”

\- - -

Rey never thought she’d tear up at meeting Rose for a coffee. Pre-pandemic they would see either often, most weekends, and sneaking lunch dates through the week but since lockdown began they’ve only been able to see one another via video call. 

The Senator recently allowed food outlets to reopen on a takeaway menu only so it’s in the car park of Bossk’s Beans the friends sit in their cars with an empty parking space between them. 

“What’s he like?” Rose asks before stirring sugar into her cappuccino. It’s so strange to see another person Rey thinks, she keeps feeling her emotions getting the better of her. After spending most of her childhood and teen years alone, it was something she was used to but her college years brought her Rose and Finn. To have them taken away from her so quickly has made Rey somewhat nervous about their friendships, that they would somehow forget about Rey. Like her parents did. 

Rose looks up and smiles, prompting Rey for an answer. She knows her friends aren’t leaving her anytime soon. 

“He is...big.”

Rose snorts, “can’t believe you’re sharing pictures with your next door neighbour.”

“I’m not!” Rey replies with a yelp. The ice in her coffee brew rattles against the plastic cup. “I mean-“ she huffs through a chuckle, “he’s huge, like, so tall and just built like a house.” 

“And he cooks for you?” Rose clarifies, now digging into the paper takeaway bag for her slice of brownie. 

“He does,” Rey nods, “he cooks food I can’t pronounce and I give him plants to put on his terrace. We play board games online, he _sucks_ at monopoly.”

Rose looks through the car window at her friend, smiling still holding the brownie in her hand. 

“He sounds pretty good, I’m glad you’ve had good company through all this. I was really worried about you,” she offers with a somewhat sad smile. Rey returns the smile, shrugging it off before she lets herself get emotional about it all. “So, are you like dating, or?” 

Rey frowns, sucking the cold coffee through her own brought metal straw. 

“The term hasn’t been used…” she begins, idly stirring her drink, “but afterward last night he said he wants to-“

“After what?” Rose interrupts. 

Shit.

Rey can feel her cheeks burning, eyes turning away from her friend to look at the steadily growing line of cars outside the coffee shop. 

“After what, Rey?” She prompts again, sipping the cappuccino slowly with a devious glance in Rey’s direction.

“Right okay,” Rey turns in her seat to face Rose, the cold brew being placed in her cup holder. “A few weeks ago we were meant to have a dinner date thing on our terraces but it was raining so I called him and then…you know...we…”

“Oh my god, Rey! You totally had phone sex, didn’t you, didn’t you?!” 

“Guilty.”

She can’t help but laugh when Rose cheers in her car and begins tooting the horn (much to Rey’s horror). Waiting customers look outside their windows in confusion as Rose continues to cheer for her friend’s sex life. 

“What’s it like? I don’t think I’ve had phone sex before…” 

“Of course you haven’t,” Rey interjects, “Armie arranges your sex with military precision.” 

Rose snorts but still looks dreamy at the mention of her fiancé. 

She thinks back on Rose’s question, feeling the memories of her and Ben’s many sessions now leaking into her brain and all Rey can do is cross her legs. 

“It is...phenomenal,” she sighs, head hitting the rest behind her. “Like if this is just phone sex, I don’t think I’ll survive the real deal.”

“Is it dirty?”

“Rose!”

“What?! I’m trying to live vicariously...through you!”

“Yes,” Rey laughs, “he’s filthy and some of the stuff he says…” she drifts off, remember his words last night, about bouncing on top of him. “He bought me a vibrator.” 

Rose just about coughs on the final bite of her brownie, slapping her chest and taking a drink. 

“He did not.” 

Rey grins and shrugs, that pleasant warm sensation filling her stomach as she thinks of the vibrator he gifted her some weeks ago. 

“Now I really mean it,” Rose grins, “marry this guy.”

\- - -

It’s the end of the working week, a Friday when Rey is settled on the sofa of her living room about to enter into a Zoom meeting with her colleagues. She has the tv on in the background, the state’s news channel muted as they of course talk of the pandemic. It’s the weekly briefing about the current situation, the country’s case numbers being discussed along with any new relaxation of rules. They only re-opened fast food outlets and cafes last week so Rey doesn’t expect any new relaxations. 

Face to face Zoom meetings is something that Rey has become accustomed to these last few months. In those first few days, she would ensure perfect makeup, neat and pristine hair with her usual work clothes pulled on. Now in the later months of the pandemic, Rey’s colleagues are more than used to the sight of Rey in her three bun hairstyle and fresh face just as she is used to seeing her boss Amilyn Holdo with her once bright lilac hair now faded into a dull pink, glasses forever pushing the hair from her face. She’s used to seeing her colleague Snap snacking on a bag of Doritos or seeing the once glamorous Jess walking through her apartment in sweats or with her feet on the coffee table. 

Rey, or anyone for that matter, would never wish for these events to happen however she is thankful that she feels closer to her colleagues. They all share their feelings and sometimes instead of working and discussing the business it’ll often turn into a small group therapy session. 

They’re somewhere between discussing Rey’s next piece, brainstorming ideas for their client’s project when Rey’s cellphone begins ringing. 

“Shit, sorry,” she mutters as her colleagues stop talking. She sees Ben’s name flash on the screen and with a regrettable pang in her stomach, she cancels the call and looks back to the laptop. 

Amilyn smiles politely and continues discussing how they can advertise on their social media feeds. Rey’s mind drifts a little to Ben, he knows she’s working and wonders why he would be calling. It’s just as she ponders it’s maybe a miss-dial when he calls again, the ringtone blaring throughout the Zoom call. 

Rey hears Amilyn sigh, “sounds like someone really needs you, Rey.”

She smiles apologetically, looking back to the laptop screen to find Amilyn looking right at her while the windows of Snap and Jess look less than concerned. The distraction allows them to check their own phones. 

“Sorry Amilyn,” Rey mutters, “its just...it’s my neighbour. Sorry.”

She cuts the call again, now turning the phone on do not disturb to avoid any more disruptions or gentle but firm stares from her boss. 

\- - -

An hour passes when Amilyn claps her hands and smiles at her staff.

“Okay guys, I think it’s time to end things here for the day. We got some good ideas and I don’t want anyone getting burnt out.”

Rey smiles in thanks, already feeling her brain starting to fizzle at the work they have discussed in today’s meeting. They chit chat about their weekend plans, the obvious joke being made that the pandemic limits most activities. 

“Today’s news briefing was interesting though,” Amilyn adds whilst waving goodbye to some of the colleagues already logging off. Rey drinks the last of her water and raises her eyebrows in interest. “You didn’t watch?” she presses on. With a shake to her head, Amilyn continues, “it seems the senator is now allowing certain households to meet with other households, no social distancing required.”

It takes a moment for the words to sink in, every hair on her neck rising as she takes in this new information. 

“How do you mean?” Rey pushes hoping not to sound too excited. 

“Bye Snap,” Amilyn digresses to Rey’s colleague, “can you email over that list of potential clients over first thing Monday?”

Rey purses her lips, wishing Snap would just bloody well log off already as he replies to Amilyn. 

“Sorry yes,” Amilyn sighs, sitting back into her desk chair. “Yes, the senator is introducing a social bubble I think she called it. The aim is to help people who have been cut off from friends or family-” Amilyn stops and smiles, “oh Rey, this would be perfect for you! You could see if Rose and her fiance could take you in so you can finally have some interaction!” 

Rey doesn’t remember her mouth being this dry before, suddenly regretting necking the last of her drink. She hears Amilyn continue excitedly but Rey’s brain continues to fizzle out. 

“Rey, this will be great. You should catch up on it all on tonight’s news and see what you can figure out. Have a great weekend Rey.” 

The screen of her laptop blanks out, now the only one left in the meeting room. Her hands shake and somewhere in the back of Rey’s mind, she can hear this excited voice screaming about being able to see Ben, and not at two-meter distance. She’s about to pick up her phone, to text him? Call him? But instead, she jumps about two feet off the sofa when there’s a banging at her front door. 

Had anyone been a fly on the wall to see this moment they would see Rey leaping off the sofa, running and almost skidding on the hardwood floor beneath her as she races to the front door. She doesn’t need to look through the peephole to know who it is, instead her hands tremble as she pulls off the deadlock and pulls the door open. 

Ben is there, and he isn’t two meters away. He’s right there. 

“I called you.”

“I’m so sorry-”

Rey never knew how much she missed human contact until that moment, when she feels Ben’s hands clasp her cheeks, pulling her into his body until their lips are meeting and he’s kissing her. She hears herself whimper into his mouth, this sound of shock and gratitude as she lets herself melt into his body. Nothing Rey could have ever dreamt about compares to the real thing, how soft his lips actually are, how good he smells, or how solid he feels against her body. His hands, the hands she has fantasised about for weeks are moving from her face to the back of her neck and he’s holding her. 

“I just heard,” Rey mumbles against his lips as Ben crowds her into the apartment, kicking the door shut behind him. “About the bubble thing.” He silences her with another kiss, fingers moving to the back of her skull to thread through her buns. He’s pulling her neck backward, opening her up like a flower to kiss down her lips to her jaw and neck. 

“You’re my bubble,” he breathes against her skin. She moans when his teeth scrape against her pulse. 

“Yes,” she agrees, “no more phone sex-”

“For now,” Ben grins. 

In the hallway of her apartment, they make out like teenagers. Pressed against the wall Rey feels a photo frame slip from the wall, crashing to the floor. The side unit that holds her car keys and her plants rattle as they move past it, her ass skimming the edge as Ben moves them towards her bedroom. They stumble into her room, thoughts briefly swarming her head of how he knows where he is going but soon remembers that his apartment’s layout is identical to hers. 

His hands keep moving around her body, up the back of her neck, and threading through her hair. She likes how they skirt back down around her waist and to the firm globes of her ass, squeezing. Rey can’t help but gasp when he massages the flesh there, groaning against her lips to curse. 

“Strip for me, baby,” Ben murmurs to the side of her lips, planting a soft kiss there before stepping away from her. It’s incredible how low his voice drops, incredible how she feels her underwear dampen in response to his words. Instantly she feels her body cool considerably as Ben steps away from her. She expects to feel embarrassed and shy. She’s never done something like this for anyone before but with Ben, and how close they have become, there isn’t an ounce of hesitation as she pulls her college jersey over her head. She hears the air leave his lungs as she bares herself to him. Before she can let nerves take over, she’s pulling the leggings and underwear off her legs to join the jersey on the floor. 

There’s a confidence that soars in Rey when she sees how Ben looks at her. She’s never had a man look at her like this, never seen a man look so ruined at the sight of naked flesh. He sighs shakily and takes a step forward, eyes turning so dark that Rey swallows thickly. 

“Can you do something for me, sweetheart?” 

She’s already nodding before he finishes his question, watching him with hungry eyes as he stays at the end of the bed. 

“Can you show me the vibrator I got you, show me how you used it?”

Rey nods blindly again, reaching to her bedside table to grab the sleek vibrator that was gifted some weeks ago. This isn’t how she thought their first time would go but with him looking at her the way he is, she would do anything for him. It’s only a moment of moving, sitting back into the pillows and spreading her legs for him, smiling when Ben moves closer now balancing a knee on the bed. 

“Only for a sec,” Ben whispers, eyes still focused between her legs, “I wanna make you come but,” he moves to sit at the end of the bed, “this is all I know, I’ve only heard how beautiful you sound...I wanna see, too.” 

She presses through the buttons, switching through the patterns and strengths until she finds one that will build her up, get her nice and wet for Ben. Rey tries to remember how she did it, usually so lost in the phone call with Ben that everything just fell into place. Her hand cups her breast while the other slips between her legs, the soft vibrations already making her thighs tremble. 

“I can’t believe you were just a room away from me the whole time,” Ben whispers. Already Rey feels her eyes hazing over, nodding into the pillow as she traces the toy over her labia and clit. His hand reaches across her peach coloured bedsheets, long fingers tracing the skin of her ankle while she continues to drag the vibrator over herself. Rey gasps when the toy just dips inside of her, back arching slightly while her legs spread further until her knees are knocking against the mattress. 

Gradually Ben moves closer to her, his t-shirt gets pulled over his head and thrown to the ground. His hands almost shake beneath his weight as he reaches Rey’s body. When she slides the vibrator inside Ben places his hand over hers, pushing it in and twisting the head until it’s vibrations settle right by her g-spot.

“Oh-oh god-“ 

Gently Ben nudges the toy, watching Rey with an open mouth as she begins to writhe and twist at the pleasure he and the toy feed her. 

When Rey had been on her own the pleasure had been vibrant, taking over her body until she cried down the phone to Ben and with him here, his hand controlling the toy while she squeezes and pinches her breasts; heat already shoots through her body. 

“Okay,” Ben sighs quietly. She almost whines when he pulls the toy from her cunt, turning it off and placing it to the side. “M’gonna eat your pussy Rey, just like I said I would.” 

Rey only nods breathlessly, head falling back into the pillow as Ben rearranges himself on top of her bedsheets. Her limbs already feel like liquid, Ben easily manipulating her legs to drape over his shoulders while his hands move up her thighs to spread her wide.

“You’re so pretty here,” Ben whispers, dragging his lips up the side of her knee and to the soft skin of her thigh. Already she trembles, on the brink of an orgasm when Ben licks a broad stripe up her slit to twirl around the bundle of nerves of her clit. She groans but Ben groans louder, pressing himself harder into her pussy while his tongue slicks and slides around her cunt. His fingers grip the inside of her thigh, bruising the supple flesh there while he loses himself in the taste of her. 

Her fingers find purchase in his hair, finding it is as soft as she knew it would be. She can’t help the way her hips lift off the bed, how she grinds herself harder into his mouth; desperate to pull everything from him. 

Ben obliges, pulling her clit into his mouth while his fingers move to spread her lips; eager to taste more and more. It’s a twirl or two more of his tongue on the sensitive nub and Rey’s coming, her legs shutting around Ben’s head and her back is arching so much so she tries to pull away from his mouth but Ben just keeps licking and licking until she’s coming again. Rey sobs aloud, pulling her hips away from Ben’s mouth and gasps for mercy. 

He seems dazed by this point, she can feel his eyes on her as he rises from the mattress to tug his jeans off. He’s soon pulling her up and maneuvering Rey on to her hands and knees. There’s no need for discussion of safe sex, both content with their discussion of Rey’s IUD from past phone calls. She can feel the warmth of his body behind her and she wants to feel him and see him and-

“Ben-“ 

He’s as big as she dreamed he would be, maybe bigger. Her whole body surrenders as he slides inside of her, thick cock stretching her apart as his hands squeeze her hips to hold her still. She can hear Ben’s gasp as he fills her.

“Jesus _fuck_ -“ Ben groans, the sound so low it makes Rey’s clit throb with want. 

Rey keens beneath him as he pulls her closer to his hips, leaving nothing between them. She wishes she could see them and- now, that’s a thought she keeps in mind for the future. He drops one hand, touching the back of her thigh before moving up to her backside and laying a thumb in the cleft of her ass. 

“Move,” Ben commands with the same low voice. With a shuddering breath, Rey pulls herself forward before falling back into him with a loud moan. She didn’t expect their first time to be like this, with Rey fucking herself on his cock while he holds her by her ass. Even so, she revels in it and bounces herself back on to him over and over. Each slap of their skin brings a swoop of butterflies in her stomach but as Rey works herself over and over she feels her wrists begin to tire, wanting nothing more than Ben to fuck her how he wants.

“Ben-“

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” He coos leaning down to kiss her shoulder blade, “you getting all tired on me?” He hums still kneeling behind her as still as stone. 

“Please Ben, please-“

“Aw,” he almost sounds sympathetic. Almost. “You want me to do the work? Want me to fuck you like how we’ve spoken about?” Rey nods quickly. Eager to feel Ben fuck her, to live the fantasy they’ve discussed for the last few months. 

“Please!”

She feels his hand grip her hip, the thumb on her ass slipping further until he’s a touch away from the tight ring of muscle no one has ever touched. He coos one more time against her shoulder, almost amused by her desperation, before straightening his back and pulling out. The moment he thrusts back in Rey chokes on her breath, his hands move to grip both hips and he pulls Rey back on to his cock over and over until Rey struggles to breathe. 

From behind her Rey hears Ben, how he rasps about her tight cunt, how soft and wet she is, how good she is.

“You’re everything,” Ben mutters while his hand slides up to the back of her neck, “more than what I could’ve dreamed of-“

He cuts himself off with another groan, fingers pinching the tanned skin of her hips and he just fucks her harder and harder. With each thrust, Rey feels her body becoming more and more pliant until her wrists fall from beneath her and has her ass in the air for Ben to somehow slip even deeper inside of her. 

“Oh _shit_ \- Rey-“ 

With every slap of his hips, Rey feels herself getting closer and closer to the edge. Her face is buried into the peach sheets, fingers gripping the material until her knuckles are white with pressure.

“Ben, Ben-“ she cries out when he hauls Rey up. She finds herself pulled up from the sheets, her back pressed into his chest as he continues to rut into her now panting into her ear.

“Let me feel you come, Rey.”

Tilting her head back she rests herself on his shoulder, nodding while still panting his name. She watches Ben’s hand slide down the length of her stomach, fingers gliding through beads of sweat until he begins to pluck the small bud of her clit, pulling and petting it gently until Rey is crying with want, grinding herself into him.

Her orgasm comes as a shock, that the addition of his hand could make her fall over that edge so quickly. She feels the heat pulse through her body, shockwaves travelling through her legs and arms until it centres back to her clit and she jolts in Ben’s arms. 

Rey’s still basking in the glow of her orgasm when she feels Ben moan against the shell of her ear, a long low sound followed with desperate gasps for air until his hips are stuttering against her ass and he’s grunting her name in his ear. She feels the sudden warmth of his come, spreading pleasantly inside of her until her thighs and cunt feel sticky with his spend. She still rests in his lap, head resting on his shoulder when Ben kisses the side of her head. 

“You okay?” His breath is warm against her skin, more comforting than the annoyance Rey would normally think. She nods and smiles, moving her hand to cover his.

They soon move, carrying themselves to the bathroom to use the facilities and share a shower full of soft kisses and gentle touches. In Rey’s bed, they lay, making their plans to form their social bubble in Rey’s apartment. Eventually, the light is turned off and it only takes moments for Rey to see Ben already sound asleep. She can practically feel herself glowing in his arms. 

2020 was not meant to be a year of a pandemic. Who could have ever predicted it? Rey wraps herself tighter into Ben, pulling the sheets closer to her body. Before she shuts her eyes Rey whispers a small prayer, she thanks whatever higher being there is for Ben. For this man who has saved her sanity through the lockdown. She prays for the people who have lost their lives, who have lost loved ones. Her eyes water but she continues. Rey thinks of the people who have had their lives robbed from them, the cancelled weddings and birthdays. The babies who have not met their grandparents. The people who have lost their jobs. 

Just as Rey falls asleep she thanks the being again, for giving her strength, for giving her someone. 

For Ben.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short epilogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This pandemic has had a devastating affect on our lives. It’s something none of us could have predicted or believe. Everyone has suffered in their own ways: lost jobs, lost loved ones. My own wedding was cancelled due to COVID and it still saddens me. 
> 
> I wrote this because Reylo is a nice form of escapism and I have ensured that the events in this fic are not irresponsible or to have broken lockdown rules (by Scottish standards anyway). 
> 
> Let’s pray everyone adheres to the rules and regulations so that grandparents can meet their grandchildren, so that schools can have proms, so that people can get married, so that people stop dying.

They look at one another, sparkles in their eyes and their fingers laced together. Sunshine glows behind them, and both find that the other look ethereal. 

“Do you promise to comfort her, celebrate her success, and support her struggles?”

“I do.”

Rey feels her eyes water, she didn’t know she could be happy like this. Ben holds her hand tighter, smiling fondly at her.

“By the power vested in me by God and the state of Coruscant I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”

Rey watches Rose, how she takes a step forward towards her new husband, and shares her first kiss as a married couple. No longer she can hold back her tears, clapping and whistling for her friend who after an eighteen-month delay has finally been able to marry the man she loves.

With Ben by her side, he looks as happy, grinning broadly as he watches Rose and Armie skip down the aisle as their family and friends cheer loudly for them.    
  


\- - -

It isn’t until they’re sitting down again nearly an hour later for their drinks and meal that Ben leans across to kiss Rey, a gentle press of his lips against hers that takes Rey by surprise.

“What was that for?” She whispers. Eighteen months later and Rey sounds as dreamy for Ben as the moment she met him on their balconies.

“Because I love you and this time next year we’ll be the married couple.”

Her cheeks redden, looking down at the diamond ring on her finger. Ben’s thumb brushes over the stone, he only gave it to her some weeks ago. In the comfort of their bedroom, their skin glowing in post-orgasmic bliss Ben produced the red velvet box, and with his voice still scratchy from their lovemaking he asked her to be his wife. 

She smiles and returns his soft kiss,

“I can’t wait.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated!


End file.
